1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a mobile computing and communication device, specifically to a device and method for determining location and survivability of a captive person under a disaster situation by the use of the mobile device.
2. Description of Prior Art
A person may encounter many different dangerous situations during his or her life. For example, a person may be trapped under a mound of debris created by a fallen building during an earthquake or a terrorist attack. A rescue team is sent to fallen building to search for survivors. It is important for the rescue team to identify the location and status of the trapped person to save the person's life effectively. Although a mobile phone is becoming a popular handheld device, it may not be an effective communication device under a disaster situation. For example, the communication network may be destroyed during an earthquake. Further, a rescue task may take more than 1-2 weeks for a disaster such as an earthquake. The battery of the mobile phone may run out of power in a couple of days for most of devices.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a device and method based upon a popular handheld device such as a mobile phone for locating a trapped person and for determining his or her status under a disaster situation for a prolonged period of time after the incident. This allows a rescue team to have more opportunities to save a person's life.